Spicy Sensei
by Shinitai - Koroshite Yaru
Summary: Sasuke's usual calm demeanor begins to crumble when his smokin' hot teacher still refuses to notice him. The popular boy will soon learn that not all things in life are easy. SasuKushi
1. Dinner

**Spicy Sensei**

0o0o0o0

Summary: Sasuke's usual calm demeanor begins to crumble when his smokin' hot teacher refuses to notice him.  
The popular boy will soon learn that not all things in life are easy...

AU, Obviously. Main pairing I'm focused on is Sasu x Kushina, so don't be convinced otherwise by the beginning.

Naruto was busy destroying noobs via the online game currently displayed on his laptop when a pleasant aroma wafted through the air. He withdrew his attention from his computer screen, getting a quick view of his mother as she passed his open bedroom door. He blinked once and placed the computer onto his bed, curiously stepping out of the room in order to follow the source of the smell. It led him down the hall, where the red-headed woman was busy applying an equally red shade of lipstick onto her pouty lips. She focused her attention solely on the task, Naruto's presence seemingly going unnoticed. He leaned against the door frame and watched, quickly noticing the elegant evening gown she was wearing. It was dark blue and strapless as it hugged her curves and hung down to her ankles. The slight v cut gave hint to her average sized bosom while the waist adorned a thin silver belt that helped accentuated her natural curves. The small silver chain with a heart shaped pendant was just low enough to settle about an inch from her cleavage, and a thin singular bracelet wrapped around her delicate wrist. The only reason Naruto could notice all this, though was because of his mother's hair. It typically hung flat down her back, concealing the view of her body from behind. But tonight it was tied into a loose ponytail that formed into soft ringlets near the ends and came up to her middle back. A few wavy strands framed the edges of her face, coming down past her ears and creating a surprisingly elegant look.

Kushina caught her son's eye in the mirror and puckered her lips a few times before smirking and stuffing her beauty items back in her purse.

"What do you think?" she asked him, turning toward the teen so that he could get a full view.

"You look-" '_Beautiful? Nah, that's something Dad would say. Sexy?...too much. Hot? No…_' "-really nice." Naruto finally decided, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Where are you going?"

His mother never bothered to dress this fancy unless she was meeting up with a prospective client or had dinner plans with his father. Judging from the fact that Minato was not back from work yet and she was wearing her 'special perfume', Naruto figured it was the latter.

Kushina smiled despite herself, quite pleased with her son's approval. "Dinner plans," she replied. She studied his outfit as well, her eyes instantly zero-ing in on the mustard stain he knew adorned the front of his t-shirt and narrowing disapprovingly at it. "And you are most certainly _not _leaving this house wearing that."

"What? I have to go, too?" the blond asked incredulously. He was not entirely surprised that he hadn't been forewarned (his mother had a tendency to drop plans on him at the last second), but that didn't mean he didn't have a life of his own! _We just _had_ to have dinner plans tonight of all nights_! He was _so_ close to getting a 99 in all of his combat skills, literally 2 hours' worth of experience away! He was totally prepared to finally beat that bastard Sasuke and officially win their longstanding bet, but _no_. They had dinner plans. He pouted when his mother gave him a look that easily translated to 'No backtalk. Get dressed or you're grounded for a month'. She tended to be very expressive, a trait in which he'd inherited, so it was quite easy for him to know when his mother wasn't in the mood to deal with his 'teenage bullshit', as she once put it. "Fine, fine," he grumbled, and went back in his room to pull on a black t-shirt with a bright orange spiral across the front and a pair of faded straight legged jeans – his only pair that wasn't wrinkly or dirty – before adding a squirt or two of his favorite cologne and sweeping a hand through his messy blond locks. A quick nod at himself in the mirror showed his appearance to be satisfactory enough.

He entered the living room just as the front door opened to reveal a slightly breathless Minato, clad in a sharp black business suit and looking just as stylish as his mother. The blond wondered for a moment if he was a little underdressed, but the thought was quickly forgotten when his father smirked at him and winked, "Nice shirt. Ready to go?"

At that moment Kushina stepped into the room as well, and Minato's attention was immediately drawn to her. His smirk quickly transformed into a smile as he took in the image of the stunning woman before him with very clear adoration in his eyes. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" he questioned rhetorically, garnering a blush from Kushina even though Naruto was sure he repeated that phrase _at least_ once a day. _Che, I knew it_. She strode up to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips, encircling her arms around his neck. "Did I ever tell you how handsome you are?" she flirted back. Minato seemed pleased because he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and kissed her softly. It quickly grew deep. Naruto made a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes at their PDA.

"Geez, get a room," he muttered, brushing past them to exit out of the house. They acted like lovesick teens far more often than he cared to witness. After sixteen years of being subjected to it you'd think he'd gotten used to it. Unfortunately, it was almost the opposite. Lately Naruto had been getting quite annoyed with their showy and very blatant affection toward one another. Minato had chalked it up to raging hormones, Kushina had offered a laugh and insisted he would get over it one day 'once he met his special someone'. Naruto had ignored them and slammed his bedroom door in their amused faces. He didn't want to openly deny their claims; no matter how wrong he knew them to be, because it wasn't as if he could tell them the truth. No, he could never mention the real reason why he felt so sour every time he watched them kiss, or heard them through the walls, or even why he hadn't had a girlfriend up until this point in his life.

For now, he would just sulk quietly to himself, pray it was just a phase, and try his hardest not to stare at his mother's sweet ass as they followed their waitress to their designated table.

* * *

Once he'd managed to pull his eyes away from the forbidden fruit, they had instantly connected with a very familiar pair of soulless black ones. _What the-? Sasuke?_ Naruto was baffled to see the Uchihas were already seated where the brunette woman had guided them. Why hadn't his mother just mentioned that they were having dinner with his oldest friend's family? Any of Naruto's former reluctance quickly vanished as he smiled broadly at his best friend, lifting a hand in greeting. The dark-haired teen just stared back at him, his expression unreadable. Naruto raised a single eyebrow when Sasuke's blank gaze prolonged. _What?_ In response, Sasuke smirked suddenly. Knowingly. Naruto's eyes widened unconsciously, his heart skipping a beat. _Fuck_. That wasn't good. _He must have seen_, the blond concluded. He took a shaky breath, opening his mouth to explain when Sasuke smoothly interrupted, "Looks like you won't be completing our bet tonight after all, dobe."

The blond stared quizzically back at him for a moment before realization struck. He immediately calmed down and smirked back at the bastard. "So?" he pointed out. "Not like you will, either." _And as long as you're here, you can't cheat and magically get ahead of me. _Sasuke didn't acknowledge he'd heard the blond; instead he stood and bowed in greeting to Naruto's father. "Good evening, Minato-san." Sasuke gave a curt nod toward Kushina's direction, as well, not really looking at her as he added. "Sensei." Naruto could feel more than see the annoyance radiating off his mother at his friend's blatant disregard, but she quickly brushed it off and smiled tersely back at the arrogant teen. "Good evening to you as well, Sasuke." Naruto figured his friend apparently had difficulty detecting sarcasm (either that, or he wasn't paying much attention) since he seemed to grunt in response to the statement as he would have to any real greeting before turning abruptly toward his brother to start a rather hushed conversation. As Naruto's parents greeted his friend's (the women hugging and complimenting each other's appearances while the men shook hands and swiftly looked down at their menus), the blond decided to occupy his time by attempting to eavesdrop on the Uchiha brother's whispered words.

* * *

Once the waitress was done filling out everyone's orders she reiterated by repeating what she'd written and asked, "Is that it?"

With a collective nod she was off, allowing them a moment of silence as the group took in one another's appearances. They were seated at a bench table at the corner of the popular Vietnamese restaurant, the teen's sharing one side while the adults sat at the adjacent bench, save for Sasuke's mother (who chose to sit beside the boy's in their row) and Fugaku (who chose a chair instead of a bench so that he was directly across from Minato during their brief discussions). The women, Namikaze Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto, sat closest to one another. Their outfits were strikingly similar, with the color of their dresses and even the hairstyles being exactly identical, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that they had coordinated ahead of time. Although, while Kushina's makeup was dark and added a sultry touch to her appearance, Mikoto had kept hers rather light, making her appear slightly more playful (but no less intimidating), than the red-headed woman. Sitting next to each woman was Itachi to Mikoto's left and Minato to Kushina's right. Itachi had worn a sleek, black formfitting button-down top and equally dark slacks that accentuated his lean but toned build. Sasuke wore pretty much the same outfit, Naruto noted, except a few of the younger Uchiha's buttons were haphazardly unbuttoned, exposing the pale flesh of his well-defined (Sasuke had really been hitting the gym this year) chest underneath the smooth-looking material. Sasuke also had a tendency to over gel; since the blond could practically see his reflection in the teen's strands they were so shiny. _But it suited him_, Naruto had to begrudgingly admit. _Otherwise, the girls at school wouldn't bother stating as much_.

"So, how have you boys been doing in school?" Minato asked, as if reading Naruto's thoughts. He directed the question more toward his son (was that a hint of suspicion in his gaze?) than the dark-haired brothers and Naruto held back a gulp because he was more than happy to keep his mouth shut for once. "Naruto doesn't mention much, believe it or not."

"Yes, do tell," Fugaku added, leaving absolutely no room for argument. Everyone was aware of the man's not-so-secret ability to make people 'disappear'. It was his profession, actually. Which meant anyone who made him irate would cease to exist. People tended not to make the man irate very often. "If he had his way, Sasuke would also have a proclivity toward discussing trifling matters over his future."

Sasuke opened his mouth in protest - just to be interrupted by the waitress, who returned at that moment to deliver their drink orders.

"Three waters," Fugaku, Itachi and Mikoto, "Two iced teas," Minato and Kushina, "One Lemonade," Naruto, "and water with a lemon slice served on the side," you guessed it, Sasuke. "Did I get it right?" the petite brunette asked, her grin indicating she was well aware she had gotten their order exact and quite proud of this accomplishment. Sasuke wasn't so impressed. The drinks were the easy part. Their orders – now _that _would be something.

"You're good," Naruto looked truly awestruck, causing Sasuke's eye to twitch. How could he be friends with such a simple _moron_? He decided not to dwell on the matter too long and instead turned to acknowledge his father's earlier question. "My grades are perfect, Father," he looked pointedly at Kushina, who glanced up from the table to look directly at the teen as if she had felt his gaze upon her. "Isn't that right, _Sensei_?"

Kushina's gaze strengthened at the condescending tone in which Sasuke had uttered 'teacher'. It was not quite a frown, nor did she look very happy. _She's really practicing her patience tonight_, Naruto snickered in thought. Her lips tightened into a thin line before she smoothly replied. "You have a gifted son, Fugaku-san. He does exceptionally well, in not only my class but I've heard of his impeccable record from the other teachers. Although, I must admit," the woman grinned cheekily, looking every bit like her son as she insisted, "he should rely more on the _teacher's_ knowledge instead of being so damn smug all the time!"

Sasuke's expression flattened, his eyes darkening oddly for a second. Or maybe Naruto was imagining things. "Rely on fools?"

"Sasuke!" Mikoto berated sharply. He ignored her, continuing to stare blankly at his red-headed sensei. "That's rich, coming from you; the most foolish of them all."

"Don't talk to-!"

"Hey, now-"

"That's enough," Itachi interrupted both Minato and his son as he grabbed hold of Sasuke's shoulder, staring disapprovingly down at his younger brother. "Apologize." When his brother simply frowned at the women, Itachi applied a pressure to his grip and, in a much more threatening voice, demanded lowly, "_Sasuke_."

Sasuke scoffed loudly, finally rolling his eyes away as he muttered, "Sorry" in his most unconvincing voice. Itachi decided this was the best response he was going to receive so he spared Sasuke one last glance before he stood from his seat and turned to Kushina, everyone's attention upon him. He bowed lowly and then lifted only his head to look her in the eyes. "I deeply apologize for my brother's rude behavior," then he turned toward Fugaku and said, "We'll be back in a moment, Father." Naruto moved out of the way so that the brothers could exit the bench and then scooted back inside, careful not to sit too close to Mikoto. The silence that followed their departure was so unbelievably stifling that even Fugaku was grateful when the young blond opened his rather large mouth to utter.

"About school…"

* * *

"Why, Sasuke?" Itachi demanded once the men's restroom door swung closed behind them. "Is it so difficult for you to _pretend _to be polite for once?"

"You're taking _her_ side?" Sasuke accused, his eyes narrowing. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Itachi to explain himself.

"Don't assume I am unaware of what this is about, Sasuke," Itachi stared at his brother dangerously. "Her side? Kushina-san is trying her best to remain civil with you, yet you're behaving like a child. _Her_ side?" Itachi looked down upon his brother, his disappointment clear. "You know better."

"You don't understand!" Sasuke growled. He felt like ripping his hair out. "I just…can't! Not when she's around!"

_On the contrary, Sasuke, I understand quite well what you're going through. _"Why?"

"You _know_ why," the teen demanded, his voice eerily low.

"But you don't," Itachi observed, equally quiet.

Sasuke frowned at that. "Yes, I…" then he paused.

"Then, why, Sasuke?"

"_Because_…!" his brother suddenly shouted, pausing for a second time. _Because….what?_ "Because, I…"

Itachi stared at his younger look-a-like, waiting for the clueless teen to surmise an excuse.

_Because I want to shove my di-_

"-st(1) through her… skull," he finished almost inaudibly, his eyes wider than normal.

Itachi caught enough to understand what Sasuke had meant to say. He leaned back, admittedly surprised, but even more so by the snap of Sasuke's neck, his unblinking gaze, and the sudden tightening of his jawline, while his cheeks, which were flushed deeper than Itachi had ever seen, were pulled taut by his sharp glare; all clear indications that he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Sasuke, you –"

"Shut up."

"But, y-"

"I said, _shut up_," he hissed.

Itachi watched his younger brother's face slowly revert back to normal before he nodded solemnly and opened the bathroom door to usher their exit. He was sure their food was waiting.

* * *

Mikoto relaxed visibly as she saw her two sons emerge from the restroom. Judging by Sasuke's stance, he had calmed down quite a bit. She would have to thank Itachi for that later. For now, she shared a look with her husband and then proceeded to eat from her plate of sushi. Sasuke barely noted the fact that his food had arrived during his absence, instead he glanced sideways to meet the furrowed brow of his blond best friend. Sasuke raised a single eyebrow languidly. "Something wrong?" he asked softly enough to where only Naruto could hear. The blond shook his head slowly, looking away. Sasuke could see Naruto's fists clench tighter in his peripheral vision. The dark-haired teen sighed and figured the adults must have told the idiot to keep his mouth shut for now – since he clearly had something he wanted to say, with or without his fists. Even if Sasuke agreed he deserved what was coming to him, very probably the moment he stepped out of the restaurant, he felt the need to resolve the situation with a more reasonable approach. "Listen, Naruto…" his tone was still only audible to the blond's ears, but the dark-haired teen could feel several gazes upon him. Perhaps other occupants in the restaurant had noticed the commotion and were keeping tabs on him. Or maybe it was just the adults, since they were far too silent as well. "I'm sorry about…what I said." At Naruto's wide eyes he forcefully ground out. "It was uncalled for."

Naruto allowed a silence to settle between them, keeping his gaze on Sasuke the whole time as if he was determining whether the teen was lying. Eventually he smiled, his anger completely dissipated. "Thanks, bastard. I know you didn't mean anything by it. You said so yourself – Mom is the best art teacher – hell_, teacher_ period– that you've ever had. I would know," the blond added with a crooked grin. "So why were you being such a jerk?" he spit out with another random frown. Sasuke swore, Naruto's moods changed quicker than Itachi changed girlfriends. Although, having Kushina for a teacher for almost a year now, he knew full well where the blond had inherited _that_ trait. And just like that, Sasuke couldn't keep from taking a quick glance at the woman in question. She held a cupped palm over her lips as she whispered something into Minato's ear and judging by the slight pink of his ears and nose, it was something highly suggestive. Sasuke turned away quickly, feeling oddly like an intruder looking in on a very intimate affair. He curled his fingers into a fist, his nails digging into his skin.

"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke as well, an odd tone in his voice.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto whispered loudly.

"What?" he snapped to no one in particular. He happened to look directly at none of the people who had called him, rather directly into very wide blue-gray eyes.

"Your nose!" Kushina gasped/shrieked. Just as Sasuke glanced down to finally register the slight drip of something gooey trail out of his nostril, Minato supplied a gauze pad from out of the secret medical kit locate in the pocket of his jacket (a benefit to being the world's best doctor) and swiftly assisted the dark-haired teen with the mess despite his muffled protests. Sasuke snatched hold of the pad and withdrew it from his face, able to now see the large quantity of red smeared across the front. He felt more trickle and clamped it back to his nose with a stand.

"Whoa, where do you think _you're_ going?" Minato asked cautiously, watching Sasuke not-so-graciously shove his son out of the bench with an amused smile so that the dark-haired teen could leave.

"Outside," was the single word answer.

Fugaku lifted a glass of wine wordlessly to his lips, seemingly oblivious to anything Sasuke did. Itachi figured it was for the best, so he didn't protest when the boy swiftly made his leave. Everyone else either felt they didn't have a say in the matter or was secretly pleased with Sasuke's decision, even if it were a bit too late. No one could deny this dinner had been disastrous. And no one could deny that it was mostly (if not singularly) due to the fault of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto's absent teen son, Sasuke.

"He's been under a lot of pressure lately…" Mikoto excused lamely.

There was a long pause.

"Dessert?" It was Minato's suggestion.

"'Um stuffed," Naruto declined uncharacteristically, looking far too eager to bolt out of his chair if only he suspected his mother would allow it.

"No, thank you, Minato-san. Although, it _i_s getting to be pretty late," Itachi murmured. Naruto glanced down at his cell phone. It was only 7:20.

"You're right. We really should be going. Don't want Naruto to be late for school tomorrow." The blond's eye twitched. It was a _Friday_.

"Kids," Mikoto chuckled, draping her scarf around her neck as she smiled at her best friend. "It was nice seeing you tonight, Kushina."

"You, too, Miko-chan," Kushina glanced over at her son, gesturing for him to move. "I'll see you later." Once Naruto bolted, the two women were allowed to hug one another, giggly into the embrace despite their unfortunately awkward meeting. "I'll miss seeing your beautiful face," Kushina sighed as she intentionally brushed noses with the black-haired woman. Mikoto, being the more reserved of the two, just smiled softly and whispered, "I'll bring over that recipe tomorrow I promised you." The men shook hands at the side, quite used to their wives' affectionate behavior. They'd been like that since they were eleven, only a few years after knowing one another.

* * *

(1) fist. If you hadn't already guessed, Sasuke didn't want to repeat his thought out loud because even_ he_ was shocked.

**Random AN**:

0o0o0o0

I was bored and did a random search yesterday. I couldn't believe how little fics there are in this fandom considering how popular both characters are and their connection with Naruto (not counting mine; literally 3 in total - out of the 300,000 total Naruto fics?) That is approximately 0.0001%. I understand the reason why this might be (Sasu"gay" couldn't handle the Hot Habanero since he lusts after more...slithery creatures, amiright?) Yet, over half of those 300,000 are probably yaoi fics and at least 1/4 of those are Mpreg, so using that logic there are at least 37,500 (let's be real) totally unreasonable, highly illogical and sometimes just plain stupid fics floating around in the Naruto section of fanfic/net pertaining to males magically sprouting babies in their anatomically insufficient torsos (sorry Mpreg lovers) and only 3! Sasu x Kushina romance fics? My mind is officially blown.


	2. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**Spicy Sensei**

0o0o0o0

Summary: Sasuke's usual calm demeanor begins to crumble when his smokin' hot teacher refuses to notice him.  
The popular boy will soon learn that not all things in life are easy...

"Itachi?"

The young man turned to see Kushina standing beside him in the dark. She held a grip on the sleeve of his arm, keeping him stationary.

"Ma'am?" he replied, already knowing what this was about by the soft frown that marred her delicate features.

"What was the matter with him?" she asked. "Was - is everything alright?"

Itachi nodded once. "Unfortunately, my brother isn't quite used to _not_ getting his way."

"What do you mean?" the woman looked deeply into Itachi's dark eyes, searching. "Did he say something to you?"

He paused, reluctant to divulge anything for the sake of keeping the peace, but knowing that his brother wouldn't - Itachi sighed, "Perhaps you should speak to Sasuke…" He frowned as he glanced at something behind Kushina's head, then, looking directly back into the red-headed woman's eyes, cryptically added, "-_before_ things get out of hand."

And with that he slipped from the woman's grasp, turning to leave.

oOo

"…been in a foul mood for a couple days, now and when I asked what was wrong he would get those severe nosebleeds he gets every time he's upset, you know? And then he would just walk away!" Kushina huffed, pausing to catch her breath as she stared at her reflection in their bedroom mirror. The woman smoothed out the hair at the top of her head when she finally finished braiding the strands into one very long ponytail, completing the look by clipping down a few stray hairs above her ear. As she surveyed her appearance her frustration eventually dissipated, making way for confusion. "I just can't figure it out. What is _up_ with him?"

Minato chuckled softly, not removing his speckled gaze from his textbook. He flipped a page as Kushina's attention turned to him, "He has a crush."

The woman blanched. "_What_?" '_He has a…?'_ "Since _when_?"

"At least…" Minato paused, looking up with an amused half-grin. "Since February. I'm surprised you hadn't figured it out by now."

_'On…me?'_

Kushina flushed, thinking back. "You mean, the basket I received on Valentine's day from my _Secret Admirer_- that was-?"

"No, that was me," Minato chuckled again, finally setting down his book. "I was referring to Obito's graduation party. Besides, hadn't Sasuke gotten you something, too - if I recall correctly?"

_'Oh. I remember feeling eyes on me that night, but every time I turned around…'_ "Yes. Quite a few of my students had, actually." _As they do every year. It was really no different with Sasuke. _

Minato nodded. "I thought so. He reminds me a lot of myself at that age…"

Kushina settled atop her spot on the bed, glancing skeptically at her husband. "How so?"

His smile was reminiscent as he explained, "At the time, I also had a crush. She was the most amazing girl I had ever met, but her beauty…intimidated me. It took awhile before I had the guts to ask her out on a proper date. Even longer for me to admit my feelings."

"Oh?" Kushina smiled to herself, recalling all of this. "Whatever happened to this 'amazing' girl?"

Minato glanced down at his wife, smiling back. "It turns out, she felt the same."

Kushina giggled and lifted herself to her knees, climbing over Minato's lap. As she removed his reading glasses from his eyes, he unconsciously blushed. He grasped either side of her waist, allowing the woman to trail her fingers through his blond hair (after she had set the glasses on the overnight stand). Their faces were scant distance apart, so Kushina could very clearly see the desire in her husband's eyes.

It was a look she was accustomed to receiving from the man. She had even noticed it in the eyes of others - men and women alike! But not once had Kushina witnessed Sasuke giving her such a look. It was difficult to detect anything but smugness or anger (as of late) in the boy's unnaturally dark eyes. So what made Minato think they were _anything_ alike?

"How are you so sure?" she abruptly demanded. "About Sasuke?"

Minato blinked, then smiled softly. The bridge of his nose was still slightly pink. "A husband just knows."

* * *

**ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS PRIOR**

Naruto stifled a yawn with his palm as he continued to stare at his phone. He grumbled under his breath when he realized another five minutes had passed.

"How much longer are they going to _take_?" he complained, pacing back and forth impatiently.

Sasuke, who was currently leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, merely rolled his eyes. They had been waiting for over half an hour outside the hotel room door where The Twins (a couple of cute girls Naruto had insisted on initiated conversation with) were supposedly staying for the weekend. Sasuke first noticed them in the lobby after registering. The second day they had quite literally bumped into Mikoto during breakfast. Yesterday, they were nowhere to be found, but today the teens had been busy bulking up inside the hotel's complimentary gym when the blond had spotted them through the glass window that separated the indoor pool area.

Sasuke suspected they weren't actually twins, due to the difference in eye color and height, but he had gone with it. Naruto didn't seem to notice anything other than their one-piece bathing suits, which left plenty to the imagination even with their obviously (and equally) large bust sizes.

The pool area was empty save for those two.

The one resting in a lawn chair popped her gum loudly then smirked at the blond idiot, not like he noticed. She had her dark hair tied into a sloppy bun that spiked out wildly at the back of her head, with side-swept bangs falling crookedly above her eyebrows and fringe that framed the sides of her face. Her eyes, a pale lavender in color, trailed up and down Naruto's body before finally meeting Sasuke's.

The dark-haired teen regarded her for a moment longer before glancing over at the other girl. She was sitting at the edge of the pool, kick the water softly with her feet. This one appeared shorter than her sister, but not by much. Her hair fell down to her mid back while her neatly cropped bangs laid flat over her forehead, helping to accentuate the fullness of her cheeks. He froze when the girl looked up at him. Her eyes were…Sasuke blinked. '_What the_?' They were so pale…the teen had never seen anything like it. '_Is she blind_?'

"You boys need something?" the first girl asked, her smirk growing wider at Sasuke's blank stare.

Her voice must have made Naruto snap out of his trance because he looked sharply away from her chest, his face heating up. The blond scratched the back of his head nervously as he finally blurted, "'Sup? I'm Naruto!" He extended his hand toward the girl and she actually shook it.

"Anko," she announced before gesturing with her head toward the other girl. "And that's Hinata."

Hinata blushed when Naruto looked over, ducking her head. Anko frowned at that. "You're not going to say _Hi_, Hinata?"

Naruto waved. "Hey, Hinata!"

The girl kept her face down, her blush growing deeper, "Uh-um…"

A smile tugged at the corner of Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto scratched his head some more. "Did I do something?"

"Don't mind her," Anko popped a bubble, then explained, "She's just _really_ shy. Especially around hot guys."

"Oh," Naruto's face reddened at the unexpected compliment. "Are you guys…sisters?"

"Mhm."

The blond's eyes widened. He smiled hopefully. "Twins?"

Sasuke suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. '_Of course, no_-'

"Yep!" Anko answered immediately, her grin mischievous. "What's it to ya?"

_What is she up to? _Sasuke narrowed his eyes. This Anko chick was _clearly_ older than Hinata, maybe even by a few years.

"Well, I was _wondering_…"

* * *

**(**Two Hours Later**)**

Sasuke leaned toward the girl he currently had his arm wrapped around, breathing in the scent of her neck. The action caused Hinata to blush fiercely. "D-don't..." she gasped, shrugging away not for the first time tonight.

The teen frowned as he pulled back, again turning toward the television screen. He pretended to focus on the drama presented before him (allowing Hinata enough time to regulate her breathing back to normal) before he asked. "Why did you agree to come here?"

Hinata looked up at him suddenly, as if shocked by the question. Then frowned as she turned her head toward the bedroom door that swung open to their right. Out stepped a disheveled Naruto, his face a bruising red. Alongside him came Anko, clad in nothing but her lacy purple underwear. She leaned against the doorframe, watching Naruto head toward the kitchen as she took a drag from the cigarette perched between her fingers.

Sasuke was still watching Hinata, so her answer came to him clear as day when he witnessed the hurt flash before her eyes. '_You came for Naruto?' _Sasuke blinked._ 'You prefers the _dobe_ - over _me_?'_

There was a first for everything, he supposed. '_Too bad_.' Sasuke glanced at his oblivious friend. '_Naruto will never know_.'

Naruto drank an entire glassful of orange juice before noticing his friend's presence across the small living space. Judging by the noticeable distance between Sasuke and that girl (Hinata, was it?) on the couch, Naruto had a good indication what _didn't_ go down between them. He smirked cockily. '_I win bastard_.' Naruto was so elated he actually felt like snickering out loud! It had been awhile since he'd last won one of their bets. And the first time he had won so quickly. '_I wonder if they even kissed_!' This time Naruto really did snicker, gathering the attention of the room's other four occupants. Wait…four?

Oh, _crap_.

"Itachi!" Naruto nearly choked on his own spit. He slammed the glass down on the countertop unnecessarily. Itachi ignored him.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke caught his brother's gaze and immediately stood from the couch.

"Sasuke," Itachi stoically responded, slowly surveying the mess about his living room. There were a few articles of clothing draped carelessly over various pieces of furniture (courtesy of Anko) and a half empty pizza box sitting haphazardly on Itachi's small glass coffee table. Not to mention the half naked although not half bad to look at female currently standing in his bedroom doorway, polluting the air with her death stick. Hinata, for all her beauty, went mostly unnoticed.

_'Damn'_, Sasuke thought, fighting down a smirk. '_Your timing is impeccable, brother_. _As usual.'_

Too bad he had to pretend like the cards_ weren't_ in his hand. He was just loving this too much.

Originally, it was suppose to be a summer vacation trip to see Itachi's new apartment, a trip Sasuke had been looking forward to ever since his brother had moved out to join the military. The plan had consisted of only him and Itachi, enjoying brotherly time together - alone. But, as all failed plans go, it had turned out nowhere near Sasuke's expectations.

You see, his mother was perfectly fine with him traveling alone. After all, he was 16 years old. He pretty much did whatever he wanted to do. But everything had changed when Naruto found out Sasuke wasn't going to be kicking it with _him _this year - like every year prior.

"You're going _where_?"

"To visit Itachi."

"But-!" Naruto flailed his arms wildly. "You _promised_ to help me get that armor!"

"You're not a newb, Naruto," Sasuke chided, throwing his pack over his shoulder. "Figure it out yourself."

Naruto frowned. "How long are you staying?"

Sasuke shrugged, slipping on his sunglasses. "A week or so…why?"

And so the blond pestered him about the trip until Sasuke eventually caved and invited him along (Naruto was practically just as much a brother to him as Itachi, so why not?). Unfortunately, Kushina didn't possess the trust Mikoto did. She had a very good idea what the boys would be up to once they were away from her watchful eye (being a high school teacher came in handy) and outright refused to allow the boys permission to travel across state alone, _unless of course…_

She traveled with them as chaperone. But not before somehow managing to get Mikoto to tag along.

Sasuke sighed to himself. In the four days of their stay thus far, they had seen Itachi for a total of six hours (a twenty minute tour around his base, lunch the following day, two brief dinners before it was "off to bed" and an hour stay inside his humble abode). Turns out, Itachi's schedule was busy all year round. He was allowed vacation, but wasn't even suppose to have living quarters outside of his government funded military base - which meant his supervisors couldn't catch wind of his secret apartment. Therefore, the brunet only used it during his off hours and on weekends. He had slipped Sasuke a key during their brief reunion, but since they had arrived on a Wednesday and Kushina (damn her) had thought it a better idea to rent a couple hotel rooms since Itachi's apartment was, admittedly, on the small side, and they "Didn't want to intrude" the teen hadn't had much of a use for it just yet. That is, until a couple of attractive not-quite twins had shown up.

* * *

"Itachi, is it?" Anko smiled pleasantly, although Naruto couldn't help but notice something…off, about it.

The man studied the dark-haired female with a tense expression. Sasuke could feel the dangerous aura radiating off his brother as he wordlessly opened his front door. "I believe you have overstayed your welcome."

Anko's smile fell.

"But we were only just beginning to get acquainted," the girl insisted, trying her luck. Itachi was not persuaded. He opened the door wider and Hinata began to stir. After a moment of tense silence she suddenly stood, bowing lowly.

"I-I'm so sorry! I tried to stop her, b-but-"

"Shush!" Anko hissed, snuffing her cigarette out against the doorframe. She glared hotly at the man as she began to grab her things. "If it's seeing me you don't want, I'm _more_ than happy to oblige."

Naruto and Sasuke watched as the still half-naked young woman hurriedly made it toward the door with an armful of her things, only to be grabbed roughly by the arm. Itachi whispered something into her ear before Anko jerked away. She grit her teeth and snapped, "Let's _go_, Hinata!" Turning away quickly, but not before Sasuke noticed the glisten within her eyes.

"Y-yes!" the girl made to follow her sister, who barreled out the front door without a second thought, before Sasuke forced her still by snatching hold of her wrist. He looked meaningfully into the girl's eyes whilst clandestinely slipping a folded note into her palm. "See you around."

Hinata frowned at the object before swiftly pocketing it. Nodding, she replied, "See you."

* * *

**(**Two Hours Earlier**)**

What _was_ taking them so long?

Right at that moment the door clicked open. Naruto jumped back and feigned casualty as he mimicked Sasuke's pose leaned against the wall. The first to appear was, of course, Anko. She was dressed in all black. Black skinny jeans, black short sleeved shirt, black nails, black gloves, even her eyeshadow was black. It made her skin appear paler and her eyes larger. She smirked at Naruto and opened the door wider. The girl held hands with her sister as they exited the apartment. Hinata was dressed in the same fashion, add a jacket.

_'Emo chicks, eh?' _Sasuke, always eager to try out a new girl, had never hooked up with an emo- goth- whatever chick. Naruto just stared at their outrageous get-up. He was mildly intimidated, although he would never admit to it.

"I hope you didn't have to wait long," Anko commented, blinking innocently. Her mascara exaggerated the length of her eyelashes, making Naruto shake his head vehemently in the negative.

"It's alright," he smiled cheekily. "You were worth it."

So the teens made plans to take The Twins out that evening. After a few minutes of debate, the boys decided on a movie. Naruto had dibs on Anko, which left shy Hinata to Sasuke. Oh, well. Sasuke figured it was only fair since he possessed something Naruto didn't. Experience. Besides, it was the only way to get Naruto to agree to come to Itachi's apartment afterward.

"But won't he be back by the time the movie ends?"

"He's working late tonight," Sasuke had said.

Naruto was suspicious. "You're not trying to get me busted, are you? You know what'll happen if Mom finds out!"

"Which is precisely why we aren't going to the hotel."

"Oh, right," Naruto realized. Then he smiled genuinely, "Thanks, teme." Because Naruto never had an opportunity like this at home.

"No problem." Sasuke meant it, too. '_As long as it's beneficial to me_.' Because Sasuke never admitted to being selfless.

* * *

"What were they doing here?"

Sasuke feigned confusion although something about his brother's tone struck him as odd. The way Itachi had put emphasis on the word 'they', it was almost as if-

"Do you know them?" Naruto blurted before Sasuke could complete the thought.

Itachi appeared…'_Uncomfortable? No that can't be right.'_ Nothing fazed Itachi, Sasuke knew this to be true simply because it was his life's goal to be like his older brother! He had expected any reaction out of the man other than _this_. Honestly, he had been anticipating the sight of an irate Itachi (for once) which is the reason why he had purposefully disobeyed his brother's first rule (no girls allowed). But, if anything, his brother looked about ready to vomit. Sasuke could do nothing more than stare. If Itachi _did_ know them…did that mean they knew him as well?

"Sasuke, a word?"

The boy frowned. "Now?"

"Yes, but…preferably alone," the older of the two replied, not looking at the blond.

"What? _No_!" Naruto protested.

"Naruto-" Sasuke began.

"Shut up," Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at his friend, glaring, "Why should I listen to_ you_? You _lied_ to me! And now you," he pointed at Itachi, "want me to leave so that you can say something to the bastard _in private_? Fuck that! I thought I was your brother, too?"

"This doesn't concern you," the teen replied, as if he knew what he was talking about. He turned to Itachi for confirmation, "Right?"

Naruto looked between the two with a perfect mixture of disbelief and rage within his gaze, but didn't wait for Itachi to reply. "Fine, I get it. I'm not wanted here, right?"

Neither replied.

"All you had to do was say so," Naruto stomped toward the door as he mumbled under his breath, "Bastards."

"Naruto-" the blond turned to see Sasuke dangling the keys to his car.

Naruto scoffed, declining the offer with a raised middle finger. "I'll walk."

The brothers immediately turned back to one another once Naruto slammed the door shut.

"So?" Sasuke raised a brow, pushing the absurdity of Naruto's abrupt leave out of his mind.

"I had hoped I would never have to say this."

The boy waited silently as his brother approached him. The taller male grabbed either side of Sasuke's shoulders.

"This is important so I need you to listen to me very closely."

Sasuke nodded curtly. Why did he sound so worried?

"Those women are bad news."

"…"

"Stay away from them. That's an order."

* * *

**Present Time **

Sasuke broke away from his thoughts, tapping a pen to his chin. Back then he hadn't believed a word Itachi said. Even now, he was skeptical about the accusations his brother had held against the girls - especially Hinata. But there was one thing he couldn't deny. The behavior Naruto had displayed before his dramatic departure…_that_ was odd, even for the teen. The way the blond - '_No, not just the dobe'_ - The way _everyone_ had acted that night was so ridiculously eye-opening, the very memory of it would be forever ingrained within the teen's mind.

It was for that particular reason that Sasuke couldn't get a certain red-headed woman out of his head.

* * *

**ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS PRIOR **

**(**again**)**

Sasuke entered the hotel room, making sure to keep quiet. His cell phone read 11:52, which meant his meeting with Itachi had lasted roughly forty minutes or so. It took fifteen just to get back to the hotel so the teen figured Naruto had plenty of time to get back to the room. The light was off and Sasuke didn't want to disturb the blond if he was already sound asleep so he kept it that way. He dropped into bed, toeing his shoes off before crawling under the covers. The teen was so tired he began drifting off as soon as his head hit the pillow. His last waking thought was, '_Itachi is so full of bullshit.'_

The dark-haired teen was awoken sometime later by a soft click as the light from the hall entered the room. _Naruto…? _Sasuke didn't actually check the other bed, maybe the blond _hadn't_ made it back yet. He cracked his eyes open, hating that he was such a light sleeper, to notice that the blond's bed was, in fact, just as empty as he'd speculated. But when the teen looked at the doorway without lifting his head from the pillow, he noticed not one silhouette, but two. Two…female, silhouettes?

_'Anko and Hinata? No, it couldn't be. There hair isn't nearly as long_. _So who_-'

In his still fuzzy mind Sasuke processed that giggle immediately. No one but Kushina had such an abrupt laugh. It was almost like a snort. So that meant the other woman could be no one but Mikoto. But why were they-? His thoughts were interrupted by more giggling, this time his mother's. Against the brightness of the hall (they had yet to turn on a light in the room) Sasuke could make out one silhouette grabbing the other by the face. The owner (he now recognized as Kushina) whispered loudly. "Yerr so _cute _when yerr drunk."

_'Drunk_?' Sasuke frowned. His mother never got drunk.

Mikoto's breathless laughter was distinct as well. "Mmm but yerr cuter," she slurred.

Kushina snort-laughed. "Liar." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as their faces closed in on one another, to the point where he couldn't tell a distinction. Then he heard - the boy's eyes widened further - '_Are they kissing_?' The tell-tale sound of sloppy smacking reverberated throughout the small space. The next twenty seconds were the longest in Sasuke's entire life. He was fully awake now, albeit discretely watching from a small crack in his cover.

_'They just_…' Sasuke couldn't even process the thought without blinking several times. '_Made out.'_

"Bleh, you tathe like sake," Kushina whined softly. Despite her complaint she allowed Mikoto to initiate another kiss - for a whole minute this time!

_'For the love of_,' Sasuke was seriously contemplating announcing his presence when they finally broke apart. '_Thank_. _God_.'

The women left the door to the room slightly ajar as they stumbled toward Sasuke. He slipped out of the bed and onto the floor just as they approached, crouching low so that they wouldn't catch sight of him. But it wasn't even necessary because they both fell into the same mattress! Sasuke heard rustling and groaned as his brain told him it was the sound of clothing being removed. Their giggles were muffled as they slipped underneath the covers. Sasuke took the moment to analyze his surroundings. They may be piss shit drunk but there was no way in _hell _this could be his room. Sasuke mentally face palmed when he spotted his mother's crotchet kit. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

He successfully snuck out and closed the door behind him, Itachi's parting words ringing in his ears.

_"Everyone she crosses runs into misfortune. Their behavior alters and they begin to do strange things. Once this occurs, it's already too late. They all ended up dead within the following year."_

Could this have been what Itachi meant…?

He shook the thought away. No, his brother was a fool to believe such tales. Lies, even. Shisui died from a freak accident, not because he met a girl who looked a little like Anko. Besides, how did Hinata mix into that equation?

_'I mean, even if it were true..._

_'Either way, that doesn't explain the way Mother had reacted to that woman. Why they were kissing, drunk… completely oblivious to my presence.' _No, this is something Sasuke realized he should have noticed long ago. His mother had always been open around Kushina. '_Not even around Father was she so…herself_.' It was something about that woman. Sasuke was aware of the kind of influence she held on his mother. But the question was, '_Why_?'

"Sasuke?"

The light clicked on, Naruto was staring at him. '_How long have they been…_?' "Where were you?"

Sasuke blinked. _Where_? "I was…" he started, but his thoughts strayed.

_'Why **her**? The dobe's mother? Of all people? And how had I not noticed before?' _Was _everyone_ as blind as Sasuke felt?

"_Where_?" Naruto pressed, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Walking," Sasuke excused quickly, his tone ending the discussion before it even began. Naruto frowned at him, a look Sasuke skillfully ignored.

"Jerk."

_'But, most importantly...'_

"Loser."

_'What made Kushina so damn special_?'

* * *

**Quick AN**:

Wow, thanks everyone who reviewed and favored. I wasn't expecting such a large response on a first chapter (especially with this being SasuKushi and all). Seriously, thanks guys (even you, flamers)! My apologies for the late update. I'll try to post sooner next time, but no promises. As for the people anticipating a happy ending, it's best to leave now. My inspirations are Quentin Tarantino and Junji Ito, just to give you a better perspective on where this is headed.


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